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Riu Ochos Rios Resort

If you can take a quick getaway in November, check out the newly opened Riu Ochos Rios Resort in Jamaica. It's an all-inclusive that goes above and beyond, with a choice of 7 restaurants, scuba lessons, even your tax is included. What you pay is really what you pay, you won't get nickeled and dimed when you leave.

Fodor's alerts us to an awesome deal the resort's running from Nov 1-Dec 22nd, where the rate is only $94 per person/per night. Not bad for a town where hotels can run $200 a night.

Related Stories:
·   Super Discounts at New Ocho Rios Resort [Fodors TravelWire]

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Adventurous Wench

Looking for a trip with the ladies, but don't want to sit around in a sweaty spa all day? Check out Adventurous Wench. They offer adventure trips for girls only that vary from Patagonia to NYC to the San Juan Islands. Prices range from $2000 to $4000, and include accomodations, but no airfare.We just like the name...
Related Stories:
·   Adventurous Wench [Sky Mag]

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The Poor Man's Aspen

Wish you could go to Aspen but aren't friends with Goldie and Kurt? Now you can, for much less.

Head to Aspen Park, about 40 miles from Denver and cozily lacking of a private runway or resort. Farmers and ranchers abound, housing is cheap and everything's authentic. Or maybe it just hasn't changed in 40 years.

The Denver Post waxes poetic about the little town, especially its hardware store which offers everything from drywall to marriage advice. And the Coney Island hot dog stand which has the best eats in town. You can eat your $1.83 chili dog with a beautiful view of the mountains. Sometimes a way better experience than any crowded four-star eatery.
image via condosinestespark.com

Related Stories:
·   In Aspen Park, hardware, hot dogs and memories
[Denver Post]

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Perivolas

Luxury hotels seem to be something we fantasize over. And if we had to choose the one we'd head to next, we'd pick Perivolas. Located on the island of Santorini, it's a truly unique Aegean retreat with the one of the most amazing infinity pools in the world (perhaps you recognize it from Conde Nast Traveler's cover, eh?).

Rooms start at $440, and they have every service you could possibly ask for, including a charterable Lear jet. There is even a Perivolas suite that's got hand-sculpted walls and its own private spa facility.

Related Stories:
·   Perivolas [Luxist]

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The Underrated LA Getaway

In LA it seems like its sometimes impossible to get away from everyone. Fodor's reminds us of the Channel Islands National Park, just a short few miles off the Southern CA coast but a relative oasis from the crowds.

The fall is the best time to go it seems too--blue and humpback whales linger on their journey southward and elephant seals abound. Check out the thousands of plant and animal species found here that are nowhere else on earth (think the Galapagos of LA...)

Stay at the Sheraton Four Points in Ventura where every room has a balcony with a view also.

Related Stories:
·   Overlooked and Underrated: Channel Islands, Santa Barbara [Fodor's Travelwire]

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California's Pygmy Forests

Perhaps you've already seen the majestic northern CA redwoods and are looking for something a little different. Head to the Mendocino coast and check out the pygmy forest. The trees are centuries old-yet just over a foot-and-a-half tall at some points. Scientists think poor soil quality has stunted growth.

The Jughandle State Reserve is recommended as one of the best places to see the trees. Although be prepared for a long hike beforehand to get up there.

Related Stories:
·   Tree Stumped [NYT Travel]

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The Emperor's Cup

If you're going to be anywhere near Tokyo this weekend or can get there quickly, don't miss out on the biggest "basho" of them all--the Emperor's Cup. This is where the world's top sumo wrestlers clash for the title of champion.

Each wrestler competes once a day and eventually takes on every other wrestler in the competition, the one with the best record wins. Currently, Asashoryu's in the lead (above). The cup runs through Sunday and tickets range from $33 to $420.

Check out Japan's National Tourist Organization as finding tickets without speaking Japanese can be challenging and they can hook you up with a translator.

Related Stories:
·   Datebook: Tokyo [NY Times]
·   Asashoryu stops Kotooshu in Autumn tournament [Mainichi Daily]
·   Kotooshu moves closer to Emperor's Cup [Taipei Times]

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Camp where Mario's People Camp

Amy Langfield over at New Yorkology points out that chef Mario Batali's crew at Babbo puts together monthly lists of fun stuff to do in the greater New York area. Not sure where they find the time between all the slicing and saucing; it must be a multitasking kind of place. Check out the whole list of Weekend Getaways: we're most taken with kayaking at the Delaware Water Gap, a 40-mile riverside park in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Related Stories:
·   Staff Picks: Weekend Getaways [Babbo via New Yorkology]
·   Staff Picks: Apple Picking [Babbo]

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"Lost" a Windfall for Hawaii

Just what we need, more jargon for a not-so-new occurrence. Today's example is "set-jetting," which means tourists running to a place because they saw it on TV or in the movies. What Lord of the Rings did for New Zealand and Sideways did for the Santa Ynez Valley, Lost is doing for Hawaii. It seems a little funny to boil the islands' many attractions down to "they looked pretty on the tube," but hey, just about anything that gets people traveling is OK with us.


Related Stories:
·   'Set-jetting' boom hits Hawaii [CNN]
·   'Lost' discovers Hawaii's secrets [San Fran Chronicle]

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Davis' Mega Maze

If you were the kid in class that was always drawing mazes for your friends, head to Davis' Mega Maze and Farmland in MA and tackle one for yourself. Constructed entirely of corn and sorghum plants over eight acres and designed by a British maze designer, it's easy to get lost in. It's considered to be one of the top three mazes in the world in terms of difficulty.

The cool thing about crop mazes is that they must be reconstructed each year, making themes a big hit. One year the Davis' did a Wild West theme, another a dinosaur one. There's also moveable gates, so a visit to the same maze twice doesn't assure you any success. Tix to Davis' are $12.95 and they recommend you call first to be sure it's open.

Related Stories:
·   How to keep them down on the farm [Boston Globe]

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Illinois' Pizza Farm

When you grab a slice on the run, do you even stop to think about where the ingredients came from? We doubt it, you're prob more concerned with catching the grease. A business team in IL actually stopped to think about it.

A retired insurance agent and his partner have opened a farm and museum that's divided up into 'slices' over half an acre. Each slice of land represents and grows something that appears on a pizza, from herbs to tomatos to basil. There's also a goat for milk and a cow and pigs for meatier toppings.

Tours are April through Oct. and take visitors through each 'slice' where they then get free pizza afterwards in the lodge. The famers hope it raises interest in organic growing.

Related Stories:
·   Pizza farm gives tourists a slice of life [CNN]
·   "R" Pizza Farm offers a pie chart of fixings [Seattle Times]

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Guide to Freighter Travel

Sure, a leisurely cruise aboard a five-star ocean liner, a.k.a floating resort, is fun, but let's be honest here, not at all exciting. They slip the next day's events list under your door before you're even back from dinner. Not exactly living by the seat of your pants, eh?

Well, consider ocean travel by freighter to add a little spice to your seafaring. Are you serious, you ask? Those big, stinky, ugly ocean tankers offer travel opportunities? Oh yes, we answer. Real ones, not just for rats and castaways...

Check out the Internet Guide to Freighter Travel. It's got it all, from FAQ's to freighter agents to common routes to how to deal with seasickness, written by a frequent freighter traveler. Basically freighter travel works like this: you book a trip with a 'freighter agent' (not a regular travel agent) several months in advance from any major world port and they then tender your voyage depending on where you want to go, you hop on board with the other 12 or so passengers and while away your sweet time. Most trips last a min. of 40-50 days. It will cost you close to $65 a day with meals for a double occ. room. There are no guarantees on your fellow passengers' friendliness, but all meals are served communally in the mess hall with the ship's officers.

Also-if you suffer from motion sickness, forget it. A 985-foot freighter does not have the same 'stabilizers' as a cruise ship, you'll know when it's rocky. But for a cheap, extended way to get from LA to Hamburg, you can't beat it. As long as you don't mind the robust scent of diesel fuel.